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a) Calculate the number of photons per second of each energy that are transmitted
without interaction through the sheet.
Since we are asked to calculated the number of photons transmitted through the sheet we
need to use the attenuation coefficients for the 200 keV and 2 MeV photons, which we
can find in Figure 8.8 of Turner. For Aluminum these are roughly 0.12 cm2/g for 200 keV
photons and 0.045 cm2/g for 2 MeV photons. Solving for the uncollided flux:
⎛μ⎞
− ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ρx
⎝ρ⎠
I = I 0e = 5 x10 7 ⋅ e −0.045⋅2.7⋅0.6 = 4.64 x10 7 s −1
b) Calculate the transmitted intensities for the same two photon beams striking a lead
sheet of the same thickness.
Instead of aluminum we now have lead. Again using figure 8.8, the attenuation
coefficients are roughly 0.90 cm2/g for 200 keV photons and 0.058 cm2/g for 2 MeV
photons. Solving for the uncollided flux:
⎛μ⎞
− ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ρx
⎝ρ⎠
I = I 0e = 5 x10 7 ⋅ e −0.058⋅2.7⋅0.6 = 3.37 x10 7 s −1
c) Calculate the atomic cross sections of aluminum and lead for the 200 keV and the 2
MeV photons.
Atomic cross section is the effective area of interaction probability per atom, or in the
units of cm2/atom. Therefore using the attenuation coefficients and converting to
cm2/atom:
Page 2 11/3/2006
μ cm 2 # g 1mol cm 2
⇒ ⋅ ⋅ =
ρ g mol 6.02 x10 23 atoms atom
2. (3 points) A narrow beam of 200 keV photons strikes a target consisting of a 1.4-cm-
thick sheet of aluminum followed by a 2-mm-thick sheet of lead.
(a) What fraction of the incident photons penetrates both sheets without interacting?
At 200 keV, the attenuation coefficients from figure 8.8 is 0.12 cm2/g for aluminum and
0.90 cm2/g for lead.
This is the fraction of intensity entering the lead shield. The amount transmitted through
the lead shield is then:
⎛μ⎞
−⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ρx
⎝ρ⎠
I = I Al e = I 0 ⋅ e − μ Al x Al e − μ Pb xPb = 0.635I 0 ⋅ e −0.9⋅11.4⋅0.2 = 0.0816 I 0
(b) Would there be any difference if the photons came from the other direction, entering
the lead first and then the aluminum?
From the above equation, it shows that it does not make a difference if you place the
aluminum or the lead first.
3. (2 points) Food irradiation is carried out with very intense 60Co sources. Calculate the
dose rate in air (Gy/sec) at distances of 1 meter and 10 meters from a 50,000 Ci source of
60
Co.
We use equation 12.26 to calculate dose rate in air from a gamma point source, with C in
Ci and we estimate E as the average of the two emitted photons, which is 1.25 MeV.
Then we multiply the activity by two to reflect that there are two emitted gammas of this
average energy :
Page 3 11/3/2006
At 1 meter:
•
1.27 x10 −6 CE 1.27 x10 −6 ⋅ 50000 ⋅ 1.25MeV
D= r2
=
1
= .079Gy / s ⋅ 2 = 0.16Gy / s
At 10 meters the dose rate is 1.59x10-3 Gy/s. This illustrates the importance of distance to
shield oneself from a radiation source. You could also do the dose rate for each gamma
and sum the two and it should come out to approximately the same since the energies of
the photons are similar.
4. (4 points) A gold foil weighing 3.500 mg is irradiated with thermal neutrons for
exactly 10 minutes. Forty-eight hours after the end of the irradiation, the foil is placed in
a gamma spectrometer with 100% counting efficiency and an activity of 2750 Bq is
recorded.
Given:
197
Au (100% abundance)
thermal neutron capture cross section, σ = 98.8 barns
197
Au + n → 198Au
198
Au t½ = 2.7 days
(a) What was the thermal neutron flux (neutrons/cm2/sec) to which the foil was exposed?
Since 48 hours passed from the irradiation time, we need to correct for any decay with λ
= 2.97x10-6 s-1:
A = A0 e − λt
−6
2750 = A0 e −2.97 x10 ⋅48⋅60⋅60
A0 = 4598 Bq
(b) What would be the saturation activity of this gold foil when exposed to this neutron
flux?
5. (3 points) A narrow beam of 100 MeV neutrons, with a fluence of 105 n/cm2/sec, is
27
normally incident on an aluminum [ 13 Al ] plate. The elastic scattering cross section of
aluminum for 100 MeV neutrons is 0.95 barns. The density of aluminum is 2.7 g/cm3.
(a) How thick must the aluminum plate be in order to reduce the number of unscattered
neutrons emerging from the plate by three orders of magnitude?
The equation to find the intensity of neutrons out of a shield of thickness x is:
I = I 0 e − ∑ x = I 0 e − NT σx
Calculating for the macroscopic cross section and then solving for x:
6.02 x10 23 atoms 0.95 x10 −24 cm 2 cm 2
∑ = Nσ = ⋅ = 0.02
27 g atom g
I
= 0.001 = e −∑ x = e −0.02⋅2.7⋅x ⇒ x = 127cm
I0
(b) How much would this plate attenuate a narrow beam of 100 MeV photons?
From figure 8.8 (μ/ρ) = 0.025 cm2/g, solving:
⎛μ⎞
−⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ρx
⎝ρ⎠ I
I = I 0e ⇒ = e −0.025⋅2.7⋅127 = 1.89 x10 −4
I0
where C is the activity of the source at that point. The activity will decrease as the
gammas go through the water and the iron so we need to find out what intensity or
activity makes it out of the shielding. Let average the energy of the 60Co to simply things
at 1.25 MeV. The attenuation coefficient of 1.25 MeV through water in Figure 8.9 is
approximately 0.06 cm2/g and from Figure 8.8 is approximately 0.058 cm2/g. Solving for
the intensity out of the water and then the iron:
−μ
I == I 0 ⋅ e H 2O H 2O e − μ Fe xFe = 1x10 −3 ⋅ 3.7 x1010 ⋅ e −0.06⋅1⋅10 e −0.058⋅7.86⋅1 = 1.3 x10 7 Bq
x
That is the activity coming out of the cylinder. Calculating the uncollided energy fluence
with the total radius of 11 cm:
Page 5 11/3/2006
•
CE 1.3 x10 7 ⋅ 2 ⋅ 1.25 MeV
Ψ= 4πr 2
=
4π (11 )2
= 2.14 x10 4
cm 2 s
7. (7 points)
hν 1MeV
hν ' = = = 0.545MeV
hν 1MeV
1+ (1 − cosθ ) 1+ (1 − cos 55°)
mo c 2 0.511MeV
(b) The change in wavelength is given by equation 8.13:
(
Δλ = λ '−λ = c 1 − 1 =
h
)
ν ' ν mc (1 − cosθ ) = 2.43 x10 m(1 − cos 55°) = 1.03x10 m
−12 −12
hν + mc 2 = hν '+ E '
hν hν '
= cos θ + P' cos φ
c c
hν '
sin θ = P' sin φ
c
From this, you can divide the two equations and get (equation 8.21):
sin θ
tan φ =
⎛1 + hν ⎞(1 − cos θ )
⎜ ⎟
⎝ mc 2 ⎠
T = hν − hν '
And therefore,
Page 6 11/3/2006
1 − cos θ
T = hν 2
= 0.454MeV
mc + 1 − cos θ
hν
⎛ I ⎞
ln⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ = − μx
⎝ I0 ⎠
This is a y = mx equation where μ is the slope and the intercept is zero. We are given the
ratio of intensities and the thickness. Plotting the data and the linear equation:
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
y = -0.3108x
ln (relative count rate)
-0.8
-1
-1.2
-1.4
-1.6
-1.8
Thickness x (cm)
Page 7 11/3/2006
λN = φσN T (1 − e − λt )
⎛ λN ⎞ ⎛ 3.7 x1010 s −1 ⎞
− ln⎜⎜1 − ⎟⎟ − ln⎜⎜1 − ⎟
⎝ φσN T ⎠= ⎝ (2 x10
11 n
2 )(19 x10
− 24
cm 2
)( 62 g
31 g / mole 6 . 02 x10 23
mole )
−1 ⎟
⎠
t=
cm s
λ ln 2
(14.28d × 24dayhour )
t = 817.8hours